It’s easy to create a basic one-product store using a platform such as Shopify. But basic isn’t good enough anymore. So how do you design a one-product store that actually entices customers to buy? That’s what you’re about to learn!
In this article, I want to show you (With examples) how the best stores design each aspect of their store. There are many subtle tactics beginners may not consider when designing their own one-product store and why not learn from the most successful eCommerce stores!
For a step by step guide on building your own one-product store, I suggest you read my article here.
1. Naming your One-Product Store
If you’ve seen my article on 22 One-product store examples, you may notice a similarity in how each store names its actual brand and its products. Each store name will match the actual brand they have created around the product.
For example, the one-product store below sells a bidet that they have cleverly named Clear Rear. This is their brand name and their store name which gives the perception they are the original creator of the product.
Appearing as the actual creator of the product provides a great deal of trust and increases the perceived value of the bidet. Additionally, it stops customers’ price checking and going to another store to purchase the exact product.
If you Google “Clear Rear bidet” you won’t find it available on other platforms unless the store owners have chosen to sell it on other marketplaces.
In addition, Clear Rear has given each product a unique name which adds to the brand and makes each product feel specialized. These are their product names:
- The Buttler
- The Grand Duke
- Chambermaid
- Bamboo Booty
- The Royal Treatment
With a niche such as bidets, naming products this way is much more fun and relatable than calling it a name such as “The Bidet Pro 3000”.
2. Lifestyle Images and Videos
Depending on the product you sell, lifestyle images can make a huge impact on your conversion rate. Showing your product being used in a real-life situation enables the customer to visualize themselves using the product.
Carrot patch is a one-product store selling a dog toy in which the dog chases toy carrots around. If this store simply had an image of the product without any dogs playing with it, I think they would go broke.
The carrot patch designed its store with images and GIFs of the product being played with by a variety of dog breeds. People love their pets and this would appeal to dog lovers in a powerful way.
If you have a niche in which you need models for amazing lifestyle images, I suggest you check out Placeit. Placeit enables you to have your brand uploaded onto images of models using and wearing your products.
3. Your Product Needs Social Proof
Nobody wants to take the chance of shopping at a one-product store that nobody else has shopped at yet. By showing customers that people shop at your store and they love your product, you are providing social proof that you are a legitimate business with a quality product.
Think about this, if you walked by two restaurants, one is packed with a lineup out the door and the other is empty, which restaurant would you assume has the better food? This is social proof and the same concept applies to eCommerce.
You can apply social proof to your store design in a variety of ways including reviews, testimonials, influencer marketing, user-generated content and social media.
Check out the store below Crown & Paw. This is an example of the type of social proof every one-product store should implement when designing its store. They have comments from happy customers as well as the actual customer’s pets sitting beside the product they purchased.
Social proof is definitely more important and effective in specific niches but it should be applied to every store.
Suggested Reading: One-Product vs Multiple Product Stores
4. Is Your One-Product Store Trustworthy?
Would you buy from a store if you did not trust it? Of course not. I have seen so many stores that could drastically improve their conversion rate if they would focus on gaining the customer’s trust.
A big part of that trust is appearing like a legitimate business. When designing your one-product store, don’t hide shipping policies and contact information. Even if you’re shipping from China, be upfront about your shipping times and cost.
The same goes for contact information, provide as much information as you’re comfortable with and make it visible on your home page.
Below is the one-product store Cat Genie. They have provided a phone number, business hours and a business email. Customers will search for this information and if they can’t find it, the chances of them buying are reduced.
The good news is that you don’t need to use your own personal information. Below is how you can appear legitimate without sharing your address or phone number.
- Use a business email with either Google for $6 a month or through Bluehost for $2.95 a month.
- You can use a free virtual number or a professional message service such as Ruby or ReceptionHQ.
- You can use a PO box or if you want a real address you can use a virtual office.
For more information, Check out my article on what address you should use for dropshipping. If you’re deciding on a product for your store, I suggest you read my article 30 One-Product Store Ideas.
5. Will Your Customer Relate to Your Store Design?
Your goal should be to design a store that resonates with your target audience. Understanding your audience and their likes and dislikes is important.
The color scheme, the images and even the fonts all play a major part in this. For example, a store selling hiking equipment will have a totally different feel to a store selling baby products. Baby products will have light blues and pinks whilst the hiking store will use an earthy color scheme.
When designing your store, limit the number of colors used as it can look very cluttered and will take away from your call to action (CTA) buttons. Ideally, you want a single main color throughout the store with your CTA buttons, such as Add to cart, a contrast color to make them pop to your customer.
I suggest using the Canva color wheel when designing your one-product store to help find contrast and complementary colors.
A great example of a store that nailed the design to suit its customer base is Mad Viking Beard. They’ve used black throughout their store with red CTA buttons. As you can tell by the homepage, they’ve gone for the manliest images and design possible.
They don’t want men to feel any less masculine for purchasing grooming products online.
6. Don’t Give Your Customer a Reason Not to Buy Your Product?
Chances are you’ve paid to acquire the majority of your customer to your store through advertising. You want to convert as many of those customers as possible into buyers, and one of the best ways to do this is to give them as few reasons as possible to not buy your product.
Design your store in a way that addresses and answers every concern, objection and excuse they have why they shouldn’t buy. The only reason they should decide not to buy from you is something that is out of your control. The worst scenario for any eCommerce store is they leave your store and buy from another store.
By this I mean you should find out every question, query and concern a customer may have about your product and answer it throughout your store.
The one-product store Houndsy has a unique dog food container and dispenser many people may not have seen and don’t know exactly how it works. So their hero image is a video showing it being used in a real-life situation followed by a step-by-step guide on how to use it.
Also on the homepage visible to users is a large FAQ section answering the most common questions they receive about their product.
7. Choose the Right One-Product Store Theme
Consumers in general are becoming more aware of spammy dropshipping stores selling inferior goods from AliExpress with slow shipping times. They don’t trust these stores and do not want to buy from them.
One very common characteristic about these stores is they tend to use free Shopify themes and they often have a familiar look. Using quality images and designing your store correctly does not mean you will look the same as these stores but it’s best to do everything possible to differentiate yourself as much as possible.
If you have the budget a may be worth considering a paid theme. Paid Shopify themes are great but they are expensive. For a similar price range, you can use Debutify or Booster which will be packed with a ton of sales features. If they are a little out of your budget, Theme Forest has a huge selection at very affordable prices.
For more information, I suggest you read my article on the best and worst one-product store themes.
